NEW YORK, July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will host the third annual SiriusXM Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft, a showcase event featuring a stellar cast of SiriusXM hosts and other celebrities at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City's Times Square on Thursday, July 19.  SiriusXM subscribers will be invited to attend or tune in from around the country and will be treated to programming from across the SiriusXM spectrum.

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A variety of SiriusXM personalities and celebrities will be in attendance to participate in the event including Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro running back and 2011 NFL rushing leader Maurice Jones-Drew, comedians Artie Lange and Nick DiPaolo of The Nick & Artie Show, Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, WWE star Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, actor George Wendt, Mad Dog Radio's Steve Phillips, Emmy Award-winning actor and SiriusXM host Jay Thomas, The Scott Ferrall Show's Scott Ferrall, The Covino & Rich Show's Steve Covino and Rich Davis, and experts from the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio channel, including John Hansen, Scott Engel and Nathan Zegura.

The event will kick off at 8:00 am ET with a special broadcast of The Nick & Artie Show - hosted by Lange and DiPaolo and produced by DIRECTV Entertainment - live from the Hard Rock Cafe stage.  This marks the debut of Lange and DiPaolo's show on SiriusXM's suite of sports talk channels.  It features Lange, known for his decade on The Howard Stern Show and a successful standup comedy career, and fellow comic DiPaolo teaming up for an irreverent and hilarious approach to sports talk.  The Nick & Artie Show will start airing in its regular timeslot (weeknights, 10:00 pm - 1:00 am ET) on Sirius channel 94 and XM channel 208, on July 19. 

The fantasy draft will kickoff off at 11:00 am ET and feature 12 teams.  SiriusXM NFL Radio's Adam Schein and Rich Gannon, a 17-year NFL quarterback and the 2002 NFL MVP, will emcee the event, which will be conducted live on the Hard Rock stage.  The Nick & Artie Show special and the celebrity draft broadcast will air live nationwide on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (channel 87 on XM and channel 210 on Sirius Premier). 

New to this year's event will be a special fan participation element that will have one of the teams in the league be selected by fans in attendance at the Hard Rock.  A different fan will be drawn from the audience each round and will have the opportunity to make the fans' team selection live on stage and on air with the rest of the celebrities.  Imagine being able to draft a superstar like Maurice Jones-Drew while he is sitting right next to you!

The 2012 SiriusXM Fantasy Football Celebrity League will include the following team managers:

Maurice Jones-Drew
Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro running back

Artie Lange and Nick DiPaolo
Hosts, The Nick & Artie Show on SiriusXM

Zakk Wylde
Guitarist for Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne

Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
WWE Superstar
Host, SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio
Defending SiriusXM Celebrity Fantasy Football League Champion

George Wendt
Actor, star of Cheers and currently in Re-Animator The Musical playing in the New York Musical Theater Festival.

Steve Phillips
Former Major League Baseball GM
Host, Mad Dog Radio/SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio

Jay Thomas
Emmy Award-winning actor
Host of SiriusXM's The Jay Thomas Show

Scott Ferrall
Host, The Scott Ferrall Show on Howard 101 on SiriusXM

Steve Covino & Rich Davis
Hosts, The Covino & Rich Show on SiriusXM

Through the 2012 season, fans can follow the SiriusXMCelebrity Fantasy Football League competition at www.siriusxm.com/fantasysportsradio.

About Sirius XM Radio

Sirius XM Radio Inc. is the world's largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has more than 22 million subscribers.  SiriusXM creates and broadcasts commercial-free music from nearly every genre; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment; and the most comprehensive Latin music, sports and talk programming in radio. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S., from retailers nationwide, and online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM programming is also available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for Android, Apple, and BlackBerry smartphones and other connected devices. SiriusXM also holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has more than 2 million subscribers.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "believe," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning.  Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control.  Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. 

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:  our competitive position versus other forms of audio entertainment; our dependence upon automakers; general economic conditions; failure of our satellites, which, in most cases, are not insured; our ability to attract and retain subscribers at a profitable level; royalties we pay for music rights; the unfavorable outcome of pending or future litigation; failure of third parties to perform; and our substantial indebtedness.  Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).  The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

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Media contact:
Andrew FitzPatrick
SiriusXM
212-901-6693  
andrew.fitzpatrick@siriusxm.com

SOURCE Sirius XM Radio